THE BATTLE FOR CALDARI PRIME

The last time we sent you news of a major battle in EVE was the
Battle of Asakai. It
wasn’t the largest ever in EVE’s decade of existence,
and it wasn’t the last one that’s occurred. But it was
unscripted and, at its core, it was what EVE Online is all
about—capturing the imagination of mainstream media and
gamers everywhere.

Today I’d like to draw your attention to a recently
released CCP developer blog about the Battle for Caldari
Prime—which is about to happen. It’s going to be a
different sort of battle than Asakai, set against an epic backdrop
of not one but two games in a single shared universe. It will be
the first of several major storyline events where we present a
progression in the greater EVE storyline on a much larger scale.
The Battle of Caldari Prime is part of a story arc where we are
exploring the violent reaction to the growing power of the DUST 514
mercenaries.

Yet even as a live event designed to introduce lore elements to
the canon, there are unscripted elements that will react to the
players who decide to participate. Most importantly, these new live
events will serve as a backdrop for player activity before, during
and after the event where we have no way of predicting how they
will react, what fleets will show up in space, what mercs will
decide to put their heavy armor on the line and what the interplay
between players of both games will be.

We urge you to follow along with this unique endeavor as
developers around the world interact with our players in two games
and one shared story. We’ll be streaming it at
http://www.twitch.tv/ccp once
the action kicks off.

These are exciting days at CCP. Not only are we nearing
EVE Online‘s 10th birthday, we are also heading towards the
launch of DUST 514, the second product in the EVE universe.
As we gear up for both milestones, we‘re showing more and
more of the deep level of connection DUST has with EVE Online.
It‘s one thing to say they‘re on the same server,
it‘s quite another thing to truly understand the level of
interaction the two games – and their players – have
and the resulting impact on EVE's established ecosystem.

As a showcase to the level of involvement and influence players
of both games have in the EVE universe, we have been hosting a
series of in-game events that explain the arrival of the DUST
mercenaries and weave their background into the EVE story. The
events to date have been relatively contained. They‘ve
involved both DUST 514 and EVE Online players, but they‘ve
been more focused towards the core community of EVE lore
afficionados. These events have however all been building towards
something.

That something is happening
now.

Caldari Prime has been the
cause for bitter rivalry and, at times, open war between the
Gallente Federation and Caldari State. It is the homeworld of
Caldari and, as a result of a treaty following a Caldari sneak
attack, is considered to be a part of the Caldari State, even
though it is situated in a Gallente solar system. As citizens of
both empires live on the planet, tensions have often run high and
rebellious elements of the Gallente population have taken to arms
to fight what they see as an illegal occupation of their homes.

The planet is orbited by the Shiigeru, a Caldari Navy
Leviathan-class Titan, which
serves as a measure of mutually assured destruction should peace be
compromised.

Situated in the Luminaire solar system, Caldari Prime has been
the scene of innumerable DUST battles over the past three days. The
mercenaries are fighting viciously for every district, being
contracted both by the planet‘s
Gallente rebels and the
Caldari State's Provist
occupation force to fight the most brutal of wars.

With CONCORD, the in-game police force, now issuing a warning
for spaceship pilots, the conflict will be spreading beyond the
planet's surface.

As we‘ve
hinted at for a while, the
in-game events we‘ve been running are building up to major
events, and judging by the commotion this week, things are about to
kick off. The battleground is set, the fight belongs to you.

If you want to participate in shaping EVE's history, you should
monitor the
news closely over the next
few days and set aside your Friday afternoon (UTC). DUST
Mercenaries that participate in specific events (details announced
tomorrow) will earn a commemorative dropsuit. The event will also
be livestreamed on our
Twitch.tv page.

Games Press is the leading online resource for games journalists. Used daily by magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, online media and retailers worldwide, it offers a vast, constantly updated archive of press releases and assets, and is the simplest and most cost-effective way for PR professionals to reach the widest possible audience. Registration for the site and the Games Press email digest is available, to the trade only, at www.gamespress.com.

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Sign up to receive MCV's email news updates and access to other online products and services.

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.